Gates of Cerelii
by fantasticfabrications
Summary: An online massive-multiplayer roleplaying game brings two teenagers together. Well, as together as online allows. Fast friends, Makoto ("Maleko") and Haru ("Kaito") have no idea that they are about to meet in real life. Between fighting basilisks and raiding dungeons, their online lives are a blast. Despite this, Makoto's and Haru's real life interactions seem to only be trouble.
1. The Guild

Chapter 1 – The Guild

Gates of Cerelii was exceedingly popular in Japan—where it had originated—and was rapidly spreading across Asia and further west. It wasn't really a surprise; after all, the class system (which offered nine different options) and special skills for each class (of which there were two hundred and seventy total) were new and advanced. Another bonus was the open world map. To top it off, there were randomized dungeons, cool quests, and epic bosses.

Makoto had bought the game when he was fifteen, and it was worth every penny. Two years later, his character, Maleko, was a level seventy mage. His stats were great, his armor and weapons elite, and his spells were powerful. He had even made many friends through the game. So what if they were only online? Despite not knowing them in real life, Makoto trusted them.

The guild he had been accepted into was the Free-Fighters-Guild. The Guildmaster went by Seithan. A level eighty Paladin, Seithan was an excellent player. Raids always went smoother when he was around to coordinate movements. His younger brother was also a part of the guild.

Fighter_Moran was energetic, peppy, and easily excitable. Despite Seithan's worries about his brother, the Barbarian was a powerful warrior. Almost reckless, the guild's Priest and Priestess had to keep an eye on Moran's health bar. He didn't like carrying potions.

Reis and LadyLenou were the two Priest class characters. Their powers of light magic and healing came in very handy in the guild's raids. With their trusty staves, the Priest and Priestess kept health and mana bars up.

LordRinion was LadyLenou's older brother. A Paladin like Seithan, LordRinion tore through the ranks of enemy lines with his two swords and holy armor surrounding him. He and LadyLenou were the only two people located outside of Japan. Living in Australia (and therefore dealing with time zone issues) frustrated the Paladin and his sister.

Chiyosa was a Warlock. Dark magic was under his control. Summoning beasts to do his bidding was his specialty. Having them attack enemies while he stood back and shot spells was what he did. He and Reis were close, despite Reis complaining that dark magic "wasn't beautiful".

Kaito was the last member of the guild. The quiet man was a Druid, capable of summoning the elements to destroy his enemies. With his special skills Hurricane and Ice Orb, Kaito was the second most powerful character in the guild. Despite this, he refused to take the lead during any of the raids.

Makoto liked all of the guild members, but he got along with Kaito the best. It seemed like he always knew where Kaito was going to attack, and so he moved his character accordingly. They were a dangerous duo, even when it was just the two of them grinding for experience.

Makoto knew he'd like to meet the other guild members one day, but that wasn't likely to happen. After all, coordinating a meeting would be difficult, and he'd never know if he was passing one of the other members on the street. He'd never meet them, but that couldn't stop him from wishing that he could meet Kaito. They'd be friends—that was something Makoto was sure of—because he already felt he knew the other teenager. How could they not be friends with how close they were online?

And so, Makoto continued to fight monsters, and he continued to talk to the other guild members, and he continued balancing real life with Gates of Cerelii. Things were good. He had no idea what was to come with the arrival of a black haired, blue eyed, silent teenager that was moving into the house at the top of the hill.

* * *

**Hey guys, I'm Firefly, on my cousin's account. This story is dedicated to her and her love of video games and fantasy worlds. Please review, reviews are love, reviews are life. Let me know what you think. This story is also on AO3. -Firefly**


	2. The Caverns of Loray

**Chapter Two: The Caverns of Loray**

The Caverns of Loray were a maze of underground tunnels. The quest was simple: enter the caverns, find the NPC Templar's items, and defeat the boss. In this case, the boss was a basilisk. High defense, poison bite, stun capabilities, knock-back powers, with a vulnerable head and belly.

The plan was also simple. Seithan and LordRinion were the ones to come up with it. Seithan and LordRinion would lead the party through the tunnels. Maleko would follow behind them, shooting spells and enchantments at the enemies, and then LadyLenou and Reis would follow him. Kaito and Fighter_Moran would be the rear guard, protecting the priest and priestess from any enemies that re-spawned behind them. Chiyosa's minions would seek out any hidden items or gold while also dealing with enemies in their way.

Once they reached the final destination, Chiyosa's pets would distract the basilisk along with Fighter_Moran and the two Paladins. Chiyosa, Maleko, and Kaito would use their long range magic to bring down the giant snake. LadyLenou and Reis would heal whoever needed healing while staying a safe distance away.

The guild met in the nearest town and started the trek to the caverns. Haru had disagreed with Seithan's plan. The blue eyed man hated bringing up the rear. There wasn't enough action to make it worth the effort of actually paying much attention. The group chat's sound rang.

**Seithan**: Yo. You guys ready? Anyone need time to switch items?

**Maleko**: Yeah. One moment.

**LordRinion**: Hurry up Mal.

**LordRinion**: I'm so ready for this, we're gonna kick ass today

**Chiyosa**: Guyyyyyyssss let's go! I'm so pumped for this quest! Think there's going to be good drops? Any legendaries?

Haru decided to reply while the others got ready. He was famous for his short answers, and he knew that they irritated Chiyosa. He responded with just one word.

**Kaito**: Maybe.

**Maleko**: kk, I'm ready

**Maleko**: Kaito! You talked! ^.^

**Seithan**: Everyone ready to go?

**Fighter_Moran**: Yes!

**LadyLenou**: I'm ready to go, as is LordRinion

**Reis**: I'm ready as well

**Chiyosa**: Yep! All ready! /jumps up and down/

**Kaito**: …sure.

**Maleko**: Kaito's ready, he already did everything at town

**Seithan**: Everyone knows the plan, so we're off! Let's defeat the basilisk and complete this quest!

**Chiyosa**: YAY TEAM

Haru moved Kaito after the other characters with a sigh. The Caverns of Loray had an intimidating gray stone entrance—tall, with two large stone pillars depicting snakes—that led to the underground passages. The game designers had really done well with this dungeon; from the cracks in the stone to the little scorpions running around, the design was realistic and intricate. It was one of the best aspects of Gates of Cerelii.

The Caverns of Loray was a tough quest, that much the entire guild knew, and the monsters were all level fifty or more. Supposedly there were traps, urns that spawned enemies when broken, and many, many, many confusing twists and turns. Some guilds had their members split up to find the next level of tunnels and then send a portal with their location, but there was always a risk of a smaller party being overwhelmed by monsters. As it was, Free-Fighters-Guild was already small. They couldn't afford to split up.

That was partly why Haru had agreed to go last. While he preferred to fight at the frontlines, he knew that the chance of a hidden side tunnel was possible, and in that case the team would be glad to have him in the rear guard. Haru had set up Kaito's stats to do maximum damage and the armor he had chosen was some of the best in terms of legendaries. His defense was solid. The dark haired teen was sure he could handle anything bad coming at him and protect the guild's healing members as well.

Haru pressed the button on his keyboard that corresponded with his set skill Hurricane. A stormy ring appeared around him, one that depleted the life of any demons that got too close, and also added to his defense. He had made Kaito an elemental Druid, and focused him on wind and ice magics. Ice Orb and Blizzard were his two most damaging attacks, while Hurricane and Twisting Armor protected him.

The first "floor" of the caverns was easier than Haru expected. It made him suspicious. It made Chiyosa and Fighter_Moran relax.

**Fighter_Moran**: Wow this is EASY

**Chiyosa**: I thought there would be more mobs…

**Maleko**: We're so jinxed now! How could you guys gloat this early on? so cruel .

**Chiyosa**: Mal-chan! Don't worry, I'll protect you if the mobs get stronger!

**Kaito**: Idiots

**Maleko: **Kaito you're cruel too (x_x)

Haru frowned at the screen but didn't respond to his friend's words. He wasn't going to let himself be distracted by the group chat. There were monsters to fight, treasure to discover, and a giant snake to kill.

The guild descended through the levels, each one getting progressively more difficult, trying (and failing) to find the basilisk's boss room. The maze of tunnels were confusing, but his job wasn't to navigate. Haru kept an open eye out for enemies, but he wasn't paying very much attention to the direction they were heading in.

One left turn and then a right, and then down a long stretch of nothing, and Haru should have said something. It wasn't right. Usually there were monsters, lots of them, before a big fight. Where were the minions? Where were the potion drops? The entire situation wasn't quite right.

The guild filed into a large open room. There was nothing there—not a monster, not a treasure chest, not any cool item—and the boss was very obviously not in that room. It was at that moment, when every single guild member was gathered together, that the cavern went to shambles.

Claw Vipers, medium sized snake-demons that slid around (but had two arms with sharp claws), materialized out of nowhere. Salamanders, the fire breathing almost-dragons, followed the Claw Vipers. Haru cursed out loud. Well this was definitely a damper on the formerly happy mood. Seithan's message popped up just before the snakes attacked.

**Seithan**: Protect the healers!

Haru was already in motion. Ice flew. Winds howled. The snakes were slowed. Maleko's frost hydra added to Haru's cold spells. The Paladins fought against the seemingly never-ending waves of monsters.

Chiyosa was the first of the team's characters to die. His minions died with him, and the character wall protecting the Priest and Priestess was breached. There was no way Haru could have backed him up in time.

Fighter_Moran died next. Haru wasn't too bothered by that. The kid was annoying, and besides, he and Chiyosa had jinxed the guild's mission. It served him right. Let the Barbarian lose the experience points from this mob room.

Haru was really stretching himself thin by that point. Both he and Maleko were long range classes, which meant this type of dungeon room was particularly difficult. There was no room to maneuver! Seithan and LordRinion were doing their best to hold off the foes, and the two healer classes were healing as best they could with their slowly depleting mana reserves.

The black haired teenager was the first to notice the change in enemy patterns. One of the Salamanders had a different eye color which a glinting hide, and Haru, in his distraction, let a monster slip past him. He recovered a moment too late. Reis was dead as well.

By that time, Haru was seriously questioning his choice in guilds. It was down to him, Seithan, LordRinion, Maleko, and LadyLenou. Maybe he could convince Maleko to switch guilds with him. There had to be other free guilds.

LordRinion fell back to protect LadyLenou and Haru moved Kaito forward. They had been quite literally backed into a corner of the room, and Haru was looking for a way out. Did they have to defeat the whole room full of monsters or just the mob's boss? They were down to four Claw Vipers and five Salamanders, plus the leader Salamander, and it was only then that Haru remembered the Portal Stones.

A private message sounded, and Haru glanced at the corner of his screen. Maleko was reading his mind again. Haru scowled, trying to telepathically tell Maleko that he should focus on fighting snakes and not on Kaito's—Haru's—thoughts, and the little messages were still there, in italics to show it was private.

_**Maleko**__: Kaito they don't work_

_**Maleko: **__the Stones_

_**Maleko: **__so don't bother_

Haru huffed in annoyance as he positioned Kaito in front of Maleko, LordRinion, and LadyLenou. His favored recurve bow—Breath of the Dying—was quickly switched out to a well-balanced mace for close combat. Summoning Blizzard, Haru watched as the ice pelts rained down on his enemies. He was always pleased with how the mobs were slowed. There was something beautiful in the way the Claw Vipers and Salamanders inched along, skin turned light blue, slowed from the cold.

The dark haired young man revived his Hurricane, letting the winds buffet and blow the snakes off course. He used Blizzard again. When the snakes got through, Haru turned to hand-to-hand combat. He had Kaito lash out with Oathbringer, maneuvering the dark haired Druid to the center of the mob, using the mace as a distraction and then quickly pressing '3' on his keyboard. Ice Orb whirled and crashed into enemy lines and shattered into smaller pieces.

Then the mob leader was there. Coldfang was his name, and Haru's eyes flashed with excitement. He lived for boss battles. Coldfang lanched himself at Kaito, and Haru had Kaito meet him halfway. Oathbringer was swung in an arc, smashing into Coldfang's side, and the Salamander retaliated with his Knockback special ability. Kaito was pushed back, and Haru, when he went to move forward, found he couldn't. Stun was one of his least favorite enemy abilities (but he didn't mind it when one of the teammate Paladins used it).

Then he was moving Kaito again, lashing out with the mace, using Oathbreaker's knockback bonus to push Coldfang away from LordRinion, LadyLenou, and Maleko. Haru was frustrated to note that the leader Salamander was immune to his unrelenting ice attacks. Immunity to cold, Knockback, and Stun were the obvious special bonuses that the mob leader had. Coldfang was good, but Haru was better.

Haru met Coldfang halfway once again, swinging his weapon, and both he and the Salamander were knocked back. Blue eyes stared at the large computer screen, looking for a physical weakness to use to his advantage. There was nothing obvious; that would, of course, make things too easy.

Hurricane was used again, Haru wishing for once that he had chosen Earth magic instead of Ice, and suddenly Maleko was there, lightening sparking at his fingers. A well placed Chain Lightening killed three enemies who had been worn down, and temporarily paralyzed Coldfang.

Haru used the short break to heal himself and look at the rest of the guild members. Seithan and LordRinion were killing off the last two regular snakes with quick and precise attacks. LadyLenou was healing Seithan. Haru watched as Maleko shot another Chain Lightening at Coldfang. That was the trigger that brought Haru back to the fight.

Kaito rushed forward, knocking the Salamander back and, pushing on, he swung Oathbringer in a flurry of attacks. Maleko moved closer and the air around him crackled with electricity.

After that, it wasn't long before Coldfang let out a piercing wail. Haru winced at the volume and lowered his speakers some. The drops came, one legendary weapon, two rare armor pieces, and a ton of gold, and Haru waited for the group to gather before investigating more.

LadyLenou revived Reis, and then she revived Fighter_Moran while Reis revived Chiyosa. Haru watched with little interest as Fighter_Moran hugged LadyLenou and LordRinion pushed him away.

**LordRinion**: While this has been fun, LadyLenou and I have to go… It's nearing midnight over here and mum wants us off.

**Reis: **I apologize, but I too must leave. This has taken longer than expected, and I need a full eight hours of sleep before the track meet tomorrow.

**Chiyosa:** But guysss we have a basilisk to kill… you're really going to leave in the middle of a quest? :'(

Haru considered his options. It was almost ten, and Haru's parents were supposed to call at half past ten to finalize arrangements. He would have to get off the computer soon. A message from Seithan ended the conversation about leaving.

**Seithan:** Alright, basilisk quest is postponed until next week. Everyone around Friday night?

**Maleko: **I can do that. Maybe meet earlier this time? Like five instead of six?

**Seithan: **Sure. Moran and I can do that.

**Chiyosa:** I can do that!

**LordRinion: **Lenou and I can do the hour earlier too.

**Kaito:** I'll be there. I'm off now, bye everyone

**Chiyosa:** byeeee Kaito

**Maleko:** Bye Kaito!

**Maleko:** Wait Wait Wait Kaito! Do you want to go grinding for EXP tomorrow?

Haru logged out without answering Maleko. He could pretend that he hadn't seen the message. There was no way he'd be online the following day, or the day after that. Turning to face his room, Haru took in all the boxes taped up, the two suitcases that he would carry with him, and placed his head in his hands. He would have to pack up his computer. That was the last thing to do before the transition.

Haru stood, took the larger of the two suitcases, and put it on his desk. He set about dismantling his large computer system. His cell phone rang, and Haru answered it without looking at the caller. There was only one person it could be.

"I'm all packed." The white lie wouldn't hurt anyone. "I'll be ready for the movers in the morning, and I've got my plane ticket and boarding pass already printed out."

"Good job Haruka." The woman on the other end of the phone said. "Your father and I will see you at Christmas."

"Of course, Mother." Haru answered. The line went dead. Haru sighed and turned back to his computer.

He hadn't told anyone about the move. The black haired teen didn't have any real friends. Haru frowned as he wrapped the monitor up in a sweatshirt for protection. He hadn't even told the guild about the move, about how he'd be gone for a few days, and he knew Maleko would worry a bit.

Haru let out a long breath. The town he was going to be living in was much smaller than Tokyo, but there would be a beach and hopefully it would be easier to breathe there. And maybe this time he could re-invent himself, maybe make a friend or two, and maybe he wouldn't be always alone. Make real life friends, not just his online group.

Computer packed, Haru zipped up the suitcase with a sense of finality. This apartment in Tokyo was not his home any longer. That title would now go to his grandmother's house in Iwatobi.

When Haru tumbled into bed that night, his dreams were filled with Kaito and Maleko and their real life adventures. He would wake ready to face the changes ahead.


End file.
